Tasting The Sweetness of Eemaan (Faith)

Anas ibn Maalik (radi Allahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “There are three things which if a person finds them, he has found the sweetness of faith: when Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all else; when he loves a person for no other reason than for the sake of Allah; and when he hates to return to kufr after Allah has saved him from it as he would hate to be thrown into fire.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Commentary:

The above great Hadith informs us that who posses these above mentioned qualities and performs these three very important actions will have and taste the sweetness of Eemaan (faith), these three qualities/actions are as follows:

1. The person who “Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all else,” meaning he loves Allah and His Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) more than anything or anyone.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allaah as rivals (to Allaah). They love them as they love Allaah. But those who believe, love Allaah more (than anything else).” [al-Baqarah 2:165]

The sign that a person loves his Lord is that he gives priority to what Allah loves even if it goes against his own desires, and he hates what Allah hates, even if it is something to which he is inclined. He takes as friends those who are friends of Allah and His Messenger and he takes as enemies those who are the enemies of Allah and His Messenger. He follows His Messenger (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), follows in his footsteps and accepts his guidance.

All of these signs are conditions of this love, and it cannot be imagined that this love can exist without any of these conditions.

2. The person who loves a person for no other reason than for the sake of Allah, meaning he meets this person and parts from this person for the sake of Allah. This type of relationship is one which is based upon the love of Allah in which good actions are performed and evil actions are shunned.

3. A person who hates to return to kufr after Allah has saved him from it as he would hate to be thrown into Hell fire.

We seek refuge with Allah from the filth that is Kufr (disbelief) and we ask Him to enable us to taste the sweetness of Eemaan (faith).